No One Seeks After Jesus

In HIs IMage. For His Purpose. That's why life matters.

Laying Down Our Lists to Find the Treasure of Christ

Have you ever met someone searching for a partner with a carefully crafted list of everything they think they want? Even if they don’t realize it, that list is often shaped by selfish motives—a belief that they know what will truly please them. (Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?”)

The danger is that this list can blind them to the one who might actually be right for them. Many people miss out on the person they were meant to share their life with because they’re fixated on their own idea of perfection.

Sadly, many of us come to Jesus with our own self-serving lists—I know I have. That list has caused my faith to falter and kept me spiritually immature, trapped by demands and expectations I thought were righteous. (1 Corinthians 3:1–2 – “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.”)

Our lists might sound noble on the surface, but if we’re honest, they’re often driven by self-interest. We say we want meaning, purpose, love, truth, protection, or escape from Hell—but do we want these things simply because they benefit us? If they didn’t, would we still seek Jesus? (James 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”)

Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) He doesn’t tell us to chase after meaning, purpose, or safety directly. He calls us to seek Him above all else, promising that when we do, everything we truly need will follow. Meaning, purpose, love, truth, care, protection, and even deliverance from Hell are added to us as a result of pursuing Him first. (Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”)

We are spiritually dead, with the cancer of sin within us—and Jesus is our cure. (Ephesians 2:1 – “You were dead in your transgressions and sins.”) But He is more than just medicine to save us; He is the treasure itself. (Matthew 13:44 – “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.”) He is our wonder, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Everlasting One. (John 4:14, John 6:35, Isaiah 9:6) Those who belong to Him are blessed beyond measure because He is the greatest gift. (Romans 6:23 – “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)

I remember when I fell in love with my wife. I had my list of what I thought I wanted—but that list went out the window when true love appeared. I saw her as a treasure worth giving everything for. My selfishness and self-seeking died because all I wanted was her. It was as if the world faded away and all I could see was her. (Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”)

If we want a true, life-giving faith, we have to let go of ourselves, our lists, and our self-centered ways. (Luke 9:23 – “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”) We must look at Jesus with that same wholehearted love, seeing Him as the true treasure He is. When we do, we will be captivated by Him. Emptying ourselves will come naturally. That is when God will add all these things to us. This isn’t a one-time decision; it is a daily fight to let go of ourselves. It’s what the Bible means when it says we must “die daily.” (1 Corinthians 15:31)

God says:

“I am who I am. I am your Creator, your Father, the One who loves you even to death. I am eternal life, love, and truth—there is no one like Me. This is what I offer you.” (Exodus 3:14; John 3:16; John 14:6)

“Can you lay down your list and your self-seeking ways? Can you see Me as the treasure I am—the highest of treasures? Love Me, dwell in My presence, and let Me add to you.” (Psalm 27:4)

“I am your meaning, your purpose, your love, your truth, your care, your protection, and your deliverance from Hell. I am your everything.” (Colossians 3:11 – “Christ is all, and in all.”)

Jesus warned, “Narrow is the way, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14) But even those who find it often struggle to walk it. Why? Because we can’t let go of our lists—the desires and expectations that blind us. (Hebrews 12:1 – “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”) We convince ourselves we know what will make us happy and define success, and these lists keep us listening to Satan’s lies, drawn to the world’s temptations, and distracted by noise and chaos. (1 John 2:15–16)

We cling so tightly to our own plans that when they aren’t fulfilled, we become disheartened. In doing so, we miss seeing God for who He truly is—the treasure who can finally lead us into the promised land. (Hebrews 11:10,16)

This is why Scripture says, “There is no one who seeks God.” (Romans 3:11) We can’t seem to stop seeking ourselves. Sadly, the institutional church hasn’t always helped. Instead of calling people to turn from self-seeking and pursue Jesus, it has too often enabled and catered to that mindset. (2 Timothy 4:3–4)

Many people have claimed to be Christians and to have sought God, only to turn away from Christianity in the end. I can guarantee that they approached God with a list of expectations that blinded them to the real Jesus. They came with preconceived ideas, demands, and desires, and when the Christianity they found didn’t match their list, they rejected it. But if they had truly sought and encountered Jesus, that list would have disappeared. They would have recognized that they had found a treasure they never even knew they should have been seeking. (1 John 2:19 – "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.")

No one truly seeks God on their own. But if you claim to be seeking Him, then seek Him for who He is—not for what you hope He’ll give you. (Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”) Seek Him because He is worthy of being sought. Trust Him enough to let Him choose what He gives you, and let Him show you just how worthy He is. (Psalm 73:25 – “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”)

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13